Increasing the Awareness of Pediatric Nurses about the Protection and Continuity of the Oral and Dental Health of Children

Objectives: To provide pediatric nurses with knowledge and skills on oral and dental health and to increase their awareness. Material and Methods: In the first phase of the study, pre-tests were given to pediatric nurses in Trabzon and Rize central and district hospitals. A Whatsapp group was created with the nurses who completed the tests, and the training video prepared by the researcher was shared. In the second phase of the study, the same questions were applied again as the post-test. Jamovi (Version 1.0.4) software was used for statistical analysis. P < 0.05 was accepted as statistically significant in all analyses. Results: Of the 91 nurses who completed both the pre-test and the post-test, 83 (91.2%) were female and 8 (8.8%) were male. In all sections in the test category consisting of six different sections (Tooth Decay, Risk Factors in Dental Caries, Prevention of Dental Caries, Oral and Dental Injuries, Children with Special Care Needs, What to Do - How to do?), the success rate was significantly higher in the post-test ( p < 0.001). Conclusion: Research emphasizes that neonatal nurses, pediatric nurses and health professionals working in community health centers should be activated and empowered in order to prevent oral and dental health problems of children, and awareness should be increased with scientifically valid educational guidelines. The results of the present study support these views and emphasize the importance of education by showing significant improvement with the training provided to nurses who had insufficient knowledge and awareness about the subject. Amaç: Pediatri hemşirelerine ağız ve diş sağlığı konusundaki bilgi ve beceriyi kazandırmak ve onların farkındalıklarını artırmaktır. Gereç ve Yöntemler: Araştırmanın birinci aşamasında, Trabzon ve Rize merkez ve ilçe hastanelerindeki pediatri servis hemşirelerine ön test soruları verildi. Testi cevaplayan hemşirelerle oluşturulan Whatsapp grubunda, tarafımca hazırlanan eğitim videosu paylaşıldı. İkinci aşamada; ön test sorularının aynısı, son test olarak tekrar uygulandı. İstatistiksel analiz için Jamovi (Sürüm 1.0.4) yazılımı kullanıldı. İstatistiksel anlamlılık için olasılık seviyesi p = 0,05 olarak belirlendi. Bulgular: Hem ön test hem de son testi cevaplayan 91 hemşirenin 83’ ü (91.2%) kadın, 8’i (8.8%) erkekti. Altı farklı bölümden oluşan test kategorisindeki tüm bölümlerde ( Diş Çürüğü, Diş Çürüklerinde Risk Faktörleri, Diş Çürüğünün Önlenmesi, Ağız ve Diş Yaralanmaları, Özel Bakım İhtiyacı Olan Çocuklar, Ne Yapmalı - Nasıl Yapılır?) eğitim sonrası yapılan son testteki başarı oranı anlamlı ölçüde artmıştı (p